Ice and the Sea, and Everything Inbetween
by nelsonladies
Summary: Dean is in his second year of college, and he finds out his new roommate is named Castiel. Dean Dean had to put up with this soft-spoken boy who doesn't quite fit in. But will he turn into a friend, an enemy, or something else entirley?


Ice and the Sea, and everything inbetween.

Dean gripped on to his cardboard box of belongings, all of which could fit into such a small container, and wished that he had asked for a single. His younger brother Sam, who was going into his junior year of highschool, followed right behind him, in awe of the campus that he hoped he might one day be able to attend. Dean's eyes fluttered left and right, looking for room 129. He knew it was on the fifth floor, and boy did his legs hurt from climbing all those stairs. He grumbled and griped, mumbling to himself about the "damn elevator being out of order"

He balanced his box in one arm, reaching up to scratch his unshaven face with the other. He wore a rusting watch that Sammy had given him when Dean was just 14, and refused to take it off. As he reached up, part of the chipping metal caught on his face and made a small scratch.

'Do you ever plan on removing that watch?" Sam asked with a look that was a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern.

"No way Sammy! I love this thing! This baby's a good luck charm! The first time I shot a gun with this on, I hit the target dead center. And ever since then"

"It's worked like a charm" Sam said, rolling his eyes and completing the sentence that Dean had explained to anyone who ever so much as glanced at the old thing.

Dean kept passing rooms, and counting numbers. He was perfectly aware that he was going to intimidate his new roommate, since it'd happened the year before. Dean searched his mind for the poor kid's name. His old roommate had to deal with Dean's utter lack of sleep, loud music, guns and everything else that Dean had to offer as a human being that scared the living daylights out of other kids. He hadn't realized it until he left for college the first year, but Sam had been the best friend Dean had had. He couldn't connect with the other kids, not only because they never stuck in one place long enough for him to, or that he didn't really want to, but because He couldn't relate to them at all.

They finally made it to room 129, which was at the very end of a very long hallway. Dean knocked on the door with his knuckles, which had been cut open and scabbed over so often from fighting that he could have rubbed them against fast moving sandpaper and felt nothing. A rough voice called through the pristine, white door.

"Who is it?" Dean almost laughed. He was glad to know, judging by the voice, that he wouldn't have some shrimp of a kid for a roommate this year. Maybe they'd be able to tolerate each other even. Dean glanced at his long haired brother, who gave a half smile and shrug as a response. Dean put on his most assertive tone, and answered with his voice, which was rocky and smooth at once, Almost like honey over gravel.

"I'm your roommate. My name is Dean, and I live here now'

"Enter as you wish" the breathy voice replied. 'As you wish?' Dean thought. 'Who does this guy think he is?'. Sam turned the brass door handle for dean, who's one arm was occupied with his box and the other trying to fix his watch, which had become flipped in all of his shifting. The door swung open, and Dean took the first step into his new room. The walls were painted a beige-green color, which looked surprisingly nice against the window view of the lake that accompanied the new room of the freckled young man. Without giving so much as a glance towards the left side of the room, Dean plopped his cardboard box on to the bed that he had turned to, which happened to be the unoccupied one. The dropping of his items caused a mini cloud of dust to appear, which brought Dean to the realization that this room hadn't been used in quite some time, and Sam might be expecting him to clean.

Sam stepped into the room seconds after, and Dean turned to face him, but on his way, he caught sight of his new roommate, who was standing near his own neatly made bed. This young man was quite possibly the most handsome dean had ever encountered. Clad in a worn trenchcoat and a dark tie that hung sloppily around his neck, the man stood not quite smiling but not frowning either. His raven hair was tousled in a way that looked like he had just rolled out of bed, but somehow managed to look beautiful. He had small wrinkles under his eyes, though from stress or laughing could not be easily determined. The man standing in front of him had the most blue eyes that anyone could imagine. They resembled an orb made of ice, through which the sunlight would shine in the early man quickly examined Dean's features, smiled a bit more, and outstretched his hand towards Dean.

Dean had decided to wear a worn in and hole covered pair of jeans, A leather jacket that he'd had forever, a Green plaid jacket underneath that, and an old grey T-shirt reading "Dead Batteries" that he'd gotten at a small concert in Montana. Dean had relatively short blonde hair, and freckles that covered his currently blushing cheeks and nose. His somewhat thin face was accentuated by his eyes, which were quite possibly the most beautiful thing about him. He'd gotten several comments in the past about them, and people could never seem to agree on the exact shade of green that they were. Some insisted Lime, while others claimed grass, and even more saying they were pine tree colored. But the choice Dean liked the most had only ever been said once. "They're like a stormy tropical ocean" Dean, despite what he'd like others to believe, loved to think that there was a small sea inside of him.

Dean noted the outstretched hand, and grasped it. He shook it firmly, and he noticed that the other man was very warm, Almost like a furnace. The man gazed into Dean's eyes for longer than most people usually would, and Dean could already feel himself feeling something. He knew that this trench coat wearing man would be a character, but he wasn't able to figure out which way his opinion would sway about this no-longer-stranger.

"My name is Castiel Novak, and It appears that I am your new roommate."

"I'm Dean Winchester."

Dean looked once again at Castiel, and could only think one thing: "He reminds me of somebody". As Dean began unpacking with the help of Sam, Castiel decided that this would be a good time to introduce himself further.

"I came here from Boston. I've got a very large family, but we don't get to meet very often, which means I spend the majority of my holiday breaks here, or at the library. Do not be worried if you've heard that my old roommate moved because of me. I can assure you that's not what happened. I wake up rather early, But I'll try my best not to wake you" Dean turned to glance at Castiel once again, and this time he sat cross-legged on his bed. His roommate was only an inch or so shorter than Dean, which made him look ridiculous sitting in such a childish position on such a tiny bed. Dean quickly became immersed back into putting away his items, and once he was done, Sam pulled him by the arm into the hallway.

"Dean, This guy seems shady" Sam whispered, glancing back to the room. "His old roommate ran away from him, and why is he wearing such a strange jacket inside there, where it's very warm? Everything about him seems off"

"Calm down, dad" Dean said sarcastically. "I got this all under control. Besides, he's cute, and Ain't I supposed to be the one lookin' after you?"

Sam sighed. "I guess so man. Just, be careful around him. It looks like you're all set up here. I've gotta get home. My ride's here, and I can hear 'em honking. Gimme a call when you are getting ready to sleep man. I'll miss you."

Dean pulled his younger brother into a rare tight hug, then let go of him and snickered. "Guess you'll have the house all to yourself for a few days. I don't care if I'm not there, no going in my bedroom. Now get outta here squirt."

They exchanged their final goodbyes, and Dean headed back into the room, where Castiel sat eating an apple, and reading a book titled "The Oddesy". How strange, Dean thought, that some people got joy out of reading. He never understood it. I mean, to him, reading was just words strung together, and he couldn't find anything special about them. He stepped out of his normal character for a moment, and tried to initiate conversation with Castiel by pointing this out to him.

"Dean, I've always had a love for words. Ever since I was a little child, would prefer reading to talking. I think that the way certain authors write is truly an art form, and that it can be as beautiful as music or a painting. Authors aren't just storytellers, they're craftsmen. They create each sentence as perfect as they can to make you feel just the emotion they want you to. Authors are the zookeepers, The readers are the zoo, and the words are the food."

"Well no wonder you like authors" Dean said, stepping closer to his new roommate. "You practically are one"

Castiel blushed, looked up at Dean's face, then blushed again.

"Thank you Dean, but I'm hardly here to become an author. I'm studying Law. I hope to become an attorney."

"You're looking to become a law major in this beat up place?" Dean questioned, gesturing around at the room. "I hate to break it to ya, but this Ain't exactly the place for fancy jobs like that, honey". He didn't know why he added that last part. Somewhere his brain malfunctioned, and his body tried to make up for it by rushing mass amounts of blood to his face. He stuttered out a few more incoherent words, then he trailed off, deciding that it would be best if he just stopped talking.

"Well Dean, this school offers an acceptable law program, and this is the only place that we could afford to send me to. My uncle is the headmaster, so we get a discount. My parents do have quite a lot of children to send off to school. So, why are you here in this "Beat up place"?" Castiel questioned, adding clumsy air quotes as he spoke.

Dean smiled. He could feel himself starting to like Castiel, whether he wanted to or not.

"Well, I'm here majoring in business. This place ain't the best for learning, but it's cheap and it's close to home. I need to be here for Sammy." Dean gave a quick smile, and hid it as soon as he realized. He loved his brother more than anything or anyone in the world, but he couldn't have his roommate thinking that he was some kind of teenage girl.

"Sammy?" Castiel questioned, his head tilting slightly to the left, and his brow furrowing.

"Oh right. I guess I haven't said much about me. Sammy's my little brother. Hes the one you saw helping me unpack my things." Dean explained, casting an open palm to the still very desolate half of the large dorm room.

"Why do you feel the need to protect.. Uh. Sammy?"

"Well, Our dad is a walking Paradox. He never wants us home even a minute later than we promised, but sometimes he'll be gone for weeks at a time on business. During those periods, I'm the only one Sammy's got. That's why I chose a place so close to home. I got the Impala parked around back, and I can be there in 30 minutes if necessary."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your mother?"

"Woah bud, You're asking the big questions right off the bat" Dean said sardonically. "When Sam was just born, still needing a crib and all, she was murdered. Some whack job serial killer broke into our house, and he found her in the nursery while she was checking up on Sammy. I guess he pinned her against a wall and set her on fire. I woke up from the screaming, and so did my dad. He rushed in, grabbed Sammy, ran into my room to tell me to take him to our secret bunker. He then ran back inside to try to save her, but by then, not only was any lead of the serial killer gone, but she was long dead."

Castiel's face grew longer, and his eyes seemed to become a darker shade of blue, but it could have just been the lighting.

"I'm so sorry Dean. I had no clue. Truly, I am sorry. I can't imagine what it's like to lose a parent that way. It must have been horrifying"

"Well Cas, I gotta say, I've seen more scarring things than that before, so there ain't a real need to apologize." Dean realized he'd made a mistake as soon as he saw the poorly hidden horror on Castiel's face. "Don't worry about it though, I'm fine" he added, hoping to ease Cas's fright.

"Did you call me Cas?" He questioned, with more clumsy and unnecessary air quotes.

"Yeah, why?"

"I don't believe I've ever been called that before. This is new to me" Cas said, seemingly forgetting about the previous conversation.

"Do you mean to tell me" Dean started, and with a loud sigh and a short pause he continued "That your entire 19 years of living, your family and friends all called you Cas-Tee-Yell? Well, Imma stick to calling you Cas, because as I've mentioned, I'm not really one with words."

"It's alright Dean. You can call me whatever you want. My family was rather rigid, and they insisted on calling all of us by our full names, and insisted we did the same. As for my friends, well I didn't have many."

"Well, Cassy-boy, Trust me. That'll change here. You've got a fresh start. Hell, I'll even help you make some if you want." Dean couldn't explain it. He found himself saying kind things, and wanting to impress the boy, despite the fact that he didn't want people bothering him. He felt a connection to Cas, and he felt already like he could express anything to him, if Castiel would be willing to listen.

"Hey!" Dean nearly yelled. "I've got an idea. Classes don't start for another week and a half. Let's go to a party. They got 'em everywhere here." Dean noticed Cas glance at the digital clock, which read 10:09.

"How long will we be at this party?" Dean was asked.

"Just a normal amount. Like a regular party" Dean replied, grabbing his jacket, which he had previously cast on to the corner of his bedpost. Castiel stood up, and walked to his side, and the two boys headed out the door.

"So how long is a regular party?" Cas questioned as the boys traveled down the carpeted corridor.

"You know Cas, like a normal party. You can come and go as you please, and people stay for a few hours whenever. You're acting like you've never been to one"

"Well, I haven't. This will be my first time."

"Geez Cas, have you ever done anything? Well if this is going to be your first party, we may as well pick a good one. I heard the most noise coming from the 3rd floor, so lets check out there."

Cas's trenchcoat flowed behind him as he walked, and it made a slight breeze that comforted Dean, who was wearing several layers. The boys walked around until they reached the 3rd floor, talking about nothing and everything all at once. There were a number of parties going on, but by far the largest was in the middle of the hall. It seemed to take up 4 rooms, and there was music and lights flashing from all of them. Cas followed Dean as he walked into the middle of the storm.

In front of Dean stood 8 different bottles of alcohol, and a large punch bowl that smelled like it had a kick to it. Dean grabbed a solo cup and filled it with some cheap whiskey, and took a large gulp.

"Whaddya want Cas?" He shouted over the loud Led Zeppelin song. Cas walked closer to answer, because he didn't feel comfortable shouting. The boys were shoulder to shoulder when Castiel finally answered.

"Oh, I don't drink" Dean looked completely shocked, and even a bit offended.

"What? How can you not drink? You're a Sophomore in college, and you don't drink?"

"Well, I'm not of legal age" Cas replied, doing his confused head tilt and eye squint.

"You sound like a crotchety old man! Do you think being 'of legal age" is stopping anyone here? I've been drinking since I was 14. But whatever man. It just leaves more for me" He smirked, and went further into the room to try to mingle with people. Cas stood back, and fiddled absentmindedly with a small wooden statue that rested on the resident of this dorm's bookshelf.

Dean, while checking out everybody, and flirting with anyone who would so much as glance at him, was also keeping a watchful eye on Cas. they hadn't been there for even an hour when a young, attractive brown haired student began to move towards and talk to Cas. Dean became curious and followed behind him to see what their conversation was all about. His body language suggested he was trying to flirt, and it was obvious that Cas was feeling closed in and cornered. Dean didn't want Cas to be uncomfortable in anyway. He moved even closer.

"Stick with me and that's not the only wood you'll" was as far as the man could get before Dean interjected.

"Sorry pal, Cas here is straight. Go find someone else" Dean pointed away from Castiel, into the sea of other half-drunk students. The brown haired boy shrugged his shoulders and sauntered in the direction Dean suggested.

"Come on Cas" Dean said, grabbing his roommate's upper arm and dragging him out of the party. They began their trek back to their dorm room.

"I'm so sorry about that. I didn't take into account that there might be weirdos there, and that you aren't exactly used to that kind of thing"

"Why did you tell that man I was straight?" Castiel questioned.

"Well it was obvious that he was making you uncomfortable, and no offence, but you seem like the kind of dude who would sleep with someone because he's too afraid to say no." Dean said, with a crooked smirk.

"Oh." Cas sighed. "Well you know I'm not, right?" he asked meekly.

"Well now I know. And frankly Cas, I really don't care. You can like Boys or you can like girls or whatever man. Just don't have sex while im in the room."

"I've never engaged in intercourse before, so it doesn't seem like that should be a problem either. What about you Dean? Do you prefer the company of a man or a woman?" They'd arrived at their dorm, and Cas and Dean each sat down on their beds.

"I swing both ways. I've never brought home a boy though, because I'm afraid of what my dad might think. I think Sammy knows, but I'm not sure. As long as they're hot, I'll make out with 'em" As he was finishing his sentence, something hit him.

"Cas, I'm real tired" Dean said honestly. He only needed a few hours every couple of nights, but it'd been a while for him.

"I'm going to sleep now, you do whatever you want, so long as you're not watching me. Goodnight" He joked.

"I think I will sleep now as well. I'm not used to all of this interaction with new people. Sleep well Dean. Goodnight" Cas whispered as he rolled under the covers. Dean removed his watch, jackets and T-shirt, and changed into a pair of plaid pajama shorts. He slid under his grey comforter, and lay on his side with his face pressed against the cool side of his pillow.

Despite being insanely tired, Dean's mind wouldn't let him sleep. It went over the same three thoughts until they were all monotonous and burned into his skull. 1. He figured out who Cas looked like. His father had always had him study a large book on angels and demons and monsters when he was young, and there had been an angel that resembled Cas incredibly. 2. He made a mistake bringing Cas to that party, and he should let Cas come out on his own from now on. And most importantly 3. The reason he felt so comfortable telling Cas things, and why he was filled with such a weird feeling around him, and why it had bothered him so much that the boy at the party tried to hit on him. He, Dean winchester, just might be in love with Castiel Novak.

/

The next morning, Dean woke to see Castiel sitting on his bed, reading his book again, and humming some song to himself that resembled "Can't fight this feeling anymore" but slower.

Dean sat up, and looked at the clock which was one of the few things that he had brought with him. 8:39.

"Hey Cas, when'd you wake up?" Dean asked, his morning voice sounding fruity and pleasant.

"Oh, about half an hour ago" Cas answered, looking up from his book. Cas's face turned a shade of red, and he looked down again.

"Come on. I'm in the mood for some diner food right about now." Dean stood up and pulled on some socks and sneakers, and urged Castiel to stand up as well.

"Wh-where are we going?" Cas asked, face still red. He was already dressed for the day, this time wearing a light blue cardigan and a pair of brown khakis. He was still adorned in his trenchcoat, which Dean thought was very strange, but in a good way.

"We're going out for breakfast."

"Dean, I don't mean to sound rude, but don't you need to put on a shirt if you're going to go out in public?". Dean looked down at his bare chest, only now remembering his lack of proper clothing.

"Ah. Nice catch!" Dean said, grabbing a blue shirt out of his pile of clothes and throwing it on. He grabbed his wallet and his keys which both laid on his desk, Void of anything school related. The only other thing on it was a beat up old guitar, and a couple of scribbled phone numbers on a napkin.

The boys strolled side by side, and Dean got to feel the cool breeze of Cas's trenchcoat. Once again, they chatted mindlessly about nothing and everything. They were so engrossed in conversation that Dean forgot to mention the rules of his car. They talked about music and art, and they talked about dogs and cats, they talked about shoes and clothes, and finally they reached a place with a large sign reading "Sadie's Diner". under that, was written in marker "The food's great!"

They entered the building, and Dean could hear Castiel's stomach growl. They were assaulted by smells of bacon and eggs, and meats and potatoes. They could smell things being fried in butter and bread, and for a brief moment, it had the boys wondering if heaven smelled like this. They took a seat at a booth for two, and almost immediately after a woman a few years older than them came up.

"Hey there lovebirds. My name's cathy and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with anything to drink?" She had a deep southern drawl, and her smile showed off most of her gums.

"Miss, You're mistaken. We are not in a romantic relationship" Cas said, and Dean found himself hoping Castiel would finish with "Yet".

"Oh! Well I'm terribly sorry 'bout that! I just figured because ya'll got the ruffled hair and you seem real comfortable with one another. We don't have many guys who are just friends come in here and sit that close to one another. That was a mistake on my part. I'm happy to hear that Y'all are such good friends though." at the mention, both of the boys realized they were sitting extremely close to one another. Their legs and arms were touching, and they both panicked and slid away.

"Anyway sweetheart, I'll take a black coffee and a short stack with a side of bacon, and He'll take a" Dean stopped mid sentence. He'd always ordered for Sammy at diners, but he realized he didn't know what Cas would like to drink or eat.

"I'll have the same, but milk instead of coffee, and hashbrowns too, please" Cas smiled, and Dean could have sworn he saw him scootch a bit closer to Dean.

"Gotcha covered. It'll be here shortly" the waitress said. It wasn't a lie Within 10 minutes their food was delivered to their table. Dean and Cas were both half starved, and they dug right in.

"This. Is. DELICIOUS" Dean moaned with a mouth full of shortstack.

"The food here is quite excellent, as well as the service" Castiel pointed out while trying to pick up hash browns with a spoon.

"Cas, that's not gonna work. Here, let me show you" Dean said, and he slid in close to the angel like boy next to him. He reached his hand over Cas to grab a fork, and demonstrated the right way to cut the dish. Castiel smiled and thanked him, and Dean's heart lit up. He could feel his love expanding and growing like somebody had lit a fire inside of him and it was spreading.

The rest of the meal was spent in relative silence, with the occasional moan from Dean because "This is my new favorite place. The Bacon here is better than anything I've ever tasted". When it became time for the check to arrive, both boys reached for it, but Castiel was too slow.

"Dean, you do not have to pay for me. Let me pick up the tab" He requested.

"No way sugar. I just got paid, and it was my idea to take us to breakfast"

"But Dean, my meal costs more than yours. Had I known, I wouldn't have ordered such a meal."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you" Dean rolled his eyes "I wanted you to enjoy yourself"

After a few more moments of this debate, the meal was paid for and they boys headed back home. Dean talked about how he had to help Sammy with some stuff at home, so he wouldn't be back until later that evening. When they arrived at the college, Castiel was dropped off and Dean started his drive back to his old home.

Eight hours later Dean opened up his dorm door, thoroughly exhausted. Castiel lay on Dean's bed, still holding his book, and completely unaware that Dean had entered.

"Hey Cas, what's up?" Dean asked. Castiel's eyes shot open. He immediately began to apologize.

"I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking. I came over here because it's closer to the fan, and I guess I fell asleep. I really didn't mean to, honest"

"Cas, Cas, Calm down. It's okay. You're fine. I don't mind at all. We can switch sides if you want, since you're always so hot" Dean explained. "Temperature wise I mean." he lied.

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm fine. I baked you a pie while you were gone. You said cherry was your favorite, right? I have access to the kitchen because of my uncle, and I figured it's the least I could do since you paid for breakfast." Dean smiled bigger than Cas had ever seen.

"Thank you Cas! I love pie! You're the greatest!" Dean pulled Castiel up from his bed and gave him a tight hug that lasted a moment later than he planned for it to. Castiel, to his surprise, hugged back. The roommates stood in each other's embrace, being warmed by each other, and for Dean, even if just for a moment, everything was bliss.

/

"Dean?" Castiel called from the bathroom where he stood shaving his face. "Do you think we could attend another party tonight?"

"Do you want to?" Dean called back. He was laying on his bed, throwing a tennis ball in the air and catching it. "I thought last time you got freaked out"

"I did, but I think this is good for getting me adjusted to people. Plus, I know that you'll protect me if any weird guys come up to me."

"Well.." Dean thought for a moment "Just in case, we should have a code. Tug on your ear if someone is making you uncomfortable, and I'll handle it. Sound good?"

"That sounds fantastic" Castiel said in an excited voice as he exited the bathroom. There was a small trickle of blood falling down his face. Dean stood up and brushed it off, but his hand remained put on the cleanly shaven, incredibly warm cheek of Castiel

"Looks like you nicked yourself there." Dean said, staring into the Icy wonderland that was the man he loved's eyes. Castiel stared right back, and neither said anything for a few seconds. Dean didn't know what to think. They were too close to be just friends, but he hadn't seen Cas show any signs of liking him in that regard.

Eventually Dean pulled away and grabbed his jacket.

"Come on Cassy-boy. Parties start right about now, and if you want a hope at snatching yourself a boyfriend, we'd better get there soon." Dean put on a smile, and tried to not let it show that the only boyfriend he wanted Cas to have was him. Once again the boys walked down the corridor, and down the steps to a party on floor 3.

Music blared and people chatted, and Dean headed straight for the booze. He wanted Cas to be happy, but if he had to watch him kiss a man that wasn't him, he at least wanted to be drunk enough that it wouldn't hurt as bad. Dean chatted with some girls he had met last year, but refrained from his usual flirty style of talking. He didn't want to give them the wrong idea. He watched as several men walked over to Cas to initiate conversation, but it appeared Cas had some sort of anti-pickup line that was working fairly well. That is, until one man who had to be a senior or older wouldn't leave. This man was around 6'4 and was wearing a letterman jacket with the name "Kavolski" on the back. Cas began to tug on his ear.

Dean quickly excused himself from his conversation and went right on over to Castiel.

"Aww come on. It'll be fun. You look like you could use some fun, you're such a young little thing" the man cooed, reaching his hand out and stroking Cas's face. Dean was shocked. He didn't know what to do, so he went with the first idea that popped into his head.

Dean strutted around so that he stood right next to Cas. He then proceeded to wrap his arm around Cas's waist.

"There you are babe. I missed you" Dean said as he laid his head to rest on his roommate's shoulder.

"I was right over here" Cas said, catching on immediately. "This guy Jeremy was just talking to me."

Dean smiled. "I sure hope he wasn't hitting on you." he smacked Cas's rear playfully, and Cas's face turned the shade of a ripe tomato. "That's mine" Dean said, looking right into Jeremy's eyes. Shortly after, Jeremy excused himself, and Dean and Cas saw it as a good opportunity to leave. They walked up the two flights of stairs as they talked.

"I'm really sorry about that Cas, I didn't know what to do. The other guys would leave after a minute or so, but Jeremy seemed really persistent. I just chose the first thing that I thought of. I really didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It was just the only thing I could think that would make him back off." Dean said, feeling ashamed of himself.

"Really Dean, It's fine. I appreciate all you did. That guy was creeping me out. I'm going to have some pie when we get home. Would you like any?"

"You act like you don't know me Cas" Dean joked. They arrived at their dorm, and Cas was sent to get paper plates and utensils while Dean cut the pie. While Cas was completing his task, Dean cut the pie and decided to push a desk up against his bed. He figured it would serve as a couch and a table for the two while they ate. When Castiel returned and Dean had served out the pie, the boys sat on the make-shift loveseat and started talking.

"So can you play the guitar, or do you have it for a different reason?" Cas inquired.

"I can play. I'm not the best, but I play by ear. That means I don't use sheet music or anything. Kind of a guessing process actually" Dean chuckled. He'd never had anyone so interested in his life before.

"Can you play something for me?" Cas's eyes widened, and Dean couldn't resist his hopeful, pleading eyes.

"Alright Cas. What do you want me to play?" Dean asked, and He felt Cas scootch towards him so that they were touching.

"Play me something that describes us to you." Cas requested.

Dean grabbed his guitar, took a moment to tune it, and began playing the first few chords of 'Can't fight this feeling', and then he began to sing. His voice was smooth and warm and breathy as he let his words flow.

"I can't fight this feeling any longer

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out as friendship, has grown stronger

I only wish I had the strength to let it show

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever

I said there is no reason for my fear

Cause I feel so secure when we're together

You give my life direction

You make everything so clear "

Dean faced towards Cas, and looked him in the eyes as he sang the next line.

"And even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight"

Castiel stared back, and sang the next line.

"You're a candle in the window, on a cold, dark, winter's night"

Then they began to sing together, and their voices, although quiet, rang out in harmony.

"And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

And I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

It's time to bring this ship into the shore

And throw away the oars, forever

Cause I can't fight this feeling anymore

I've forgotten what I started fighting for

And if I have to crawl upon the floor

Come crashing through your door

Baby, I can't fight this feeling anymore"

The two young men held out on the last note, making it slow and beautiful, and it softly came to an end. Dean set the guitar down on the floor, and reached his arm towards Castiel. His hand landed on the dark haired man's cheek, and Dean wanted so desperately to close the gap between the two's lips. He wanted to get rid of the gap between Castiel and him, between the Ice and the Sea.

Then Cas did it for him. He leaned forward and kissed Dean, and sparks flew. Dean wanted to erase everything in his mind except for that moment, because that was all that mattered to him. His tongue trailed along the other man's lips, and he felt more than he'd ever felt before. He wanted nothing to stop this moment, but Castiel pulled away.

"Dean, do you remember me telling you that authors are the puppet masters? That words, when placed correctly, can make people feel?"

"Yeah Cas, I do remember that, but I've never experienced it, so I don't know"

Cas leaned in to Dean's ear and whispered four words.

"Dean, I love you".

And suddenly Dean understood.


End file.
